IT Executive Shaygan Kheradpir Is Named CEO Of Optical Systems Vendor Coriant

The view at the top of the corporate ladder tends to be constricted by the everyday issues that threaten the profitability of the company. Chief Executive Officers come from different social backgrounds, different educational institutions, and different management styles. The pay is good; the ego stroking is better than average, and the press is usually friendly. But all that can change in a heartbeat if profits fall, and some sort of inter-company breakdown causes a major shift in vision and implementation. Shaygan Kheradpir, the 28-year veteran in the communication industry, knows how the game is played, and he plays it better than most. Kheradpir was recently named Chief Executive Officer of Coriant, the optical systems vendor that has annual sales of more than $1 billion.

Kheradpir accepted the position with Coriant for several reasons. The primary reason is Shaygan has the experience and the knowledge to lead Coriant in these difficult and competitive times. Plus Kheradpir isn’t a stranger. Kheradpir has been working closely with the executive team at Coriant for months. As the managing director of Marlin Equity Partners, the company that pieced Coriant together from Nokia, Tellabs and a portion of Sycamore Networks, Shaygan has been involved in some high-level decision making. Former CEO Pat DiPietro is swapping positions with Kheradpir. DiPietro is the new Chairman and CEO of Marlin Equity Partners.

After receiving three degrees from Cornell University, Kheradpir joined GTE Laboratories. When GTE merged with Bell Atlantic, Verizon Communication was the final product. Kheradpir was Verizon’s first CIO. Shaygan helped Verizon introduce Verizon One, which is still being used today. Mr. Kheradpir also implemented several other groundbreaking systems before he left the company and joined Barclays Bank. At Barclays, Kheradpir completely redesigned their internal systems and those systems helped the bank stay current in the financial market.

Shaygan has made a lot of friends in the IT world. According to Lightreading.com, Pat DiPietro talked about Kheradpir when he was interviewed. DiPietro said: “Coriant is happy to have Shaygan calling the shots. Our company has an executive team that is one of best in our industry, and Shaygan will only enhance our position and reputation in the industry.” Other people say Kheradpir has strategic IT insight that will give Coriant an edge over their competition. And the Competition is fierce. Companies like Ciena, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Infinera, and Huawei, as well as other companies, are battling for the same dollars, and it can be bitter corporate warfare at its best, according to Pat DiPietro.